Program Overview

American Legal Profession & Practice Skills

Overview

The course will consist of two parts. First, it will study the law of lawyering in the United States, including an examination of several ethical challenges frequently faced by practicing attorneys, and address various issues confronting the legal profession. It will also attempt to examine the creation, transformation & status of the legal profession on a global scale, including various developments resulting from globalization and technology. More specifically, it will address various aspects of the U.S. lawyer’s role and responsibilities, such as issues pertaining to confidentiality of information, conflicts of interest, maintaining professional integrity & duty to report misconduct by other lawyers, just to name a few. All of this material will be discussed while offering a comparative & global perspective with the class discussion focusing on how these issues are affecting global lawyering, as well as law practice in selected countries. We will also examine the differences and similarities in civil and common law legal systems and how they are reflected in global lawyering, as well as lawyering in selected countries.

Course Objectives

The following provides an overview of the course objectives:

• American Legal Profession with its rules and regulations for lawyers, which will include the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct & Model Code of Judicial Conduct.
• Duties, roles, and responsibilities of practicing attorneys and judges in the US and the corresponding liabilities and obligations.
• Global & Comparative perspective on American Lawyering & its pros/cons.
• The differences between civil and common law legal systems and how they affect law practice in different countries and globally.

Skills and Competencies

Next, the students will obtain the following skills:

• Multicultural Lawyering & Communication
• Critical & Analytical Thinking
• Legal Practice Skills
• Active Listening
• Problem-solving
• Case Briefing
• Resilience and stress management

Finally, the students will obtain the following competencies:

• Verbal & Written Communication
• Team Work
• Client Relationships
• Ethical Judgment & Professional Responsibility
• Intercultural Competence for Law Practice

Course Details

• ECTS: 10
• Form of instruction: Classroom instruction
• Form of examination: Take-home assignment (Assign)
• Language of instruction: English
• Level: Master
• Location: Aarhus

Teaching and Examination

• The course will be taught through a combination of lectures and skills practice.
• Each class meeting will be divided into two parts. During the first part, the professor will lecture and use Socratic method to conduct a dialogue with the students pertaining to the substantive material of the course.
• In the second part of the class, the professor will do a brief lecture on a particular legal practice skill (for example, taking a client interview) and students will be given a client file to use as they practice this skill in groups with the professor providing feedback.
• The exam consists of a portfolio of written assignments, which students work on during the course. The assignments are individual and students receive collective feedback before submitting a finalized version for grading.

Literature

• MAIN SOURCE: 3rd edition of a textbook by Katerina P. Lewinbuk, titled “Connecting Ethics & Practice: A Lawyer’s Guide to Professional Responsibility” (Aspen Publishers 2023).
• SECOND SOURCE: 3rd edition of a textbook by James E. Moliterno & Katerina P. Lewinbuk, titled “Global Issues in the Legal Profession” (West 2022).

Other Information

• This course is part of AU Summer University.
• The exact schedule will be available in June.
• The deadline for handing in the final portfolio is Friday July 25th at 12:00 Noon.
• 9-13 every day with two class meetings from 9-14 (13 days of teaching)
• Type of course: Summer University
• Primary programme: Master's Degree Programme in Law
• Department: Department of Law
• Faculty: Aarhus BSS
• Maximum number of participants: Maximum 40 participants.
• 10 seats are reserved for international exchange students from AU partner universities.